17
Feb

4 Tips for Planning the Ultimate Group Vacation

Nothing beats a holiday with your friends and family. Affordable, easy to organize, and memorable – group travel can be all these things with a bit of smart planning. Don’t believe us? Check out these 4 expert tips for making your next group vacation a reality!

1. Involve everyone in the planning process

You’ve proposed an awesome group vacation to your best mates, now what? It’s time to make some important decisions and remember, everyone’s opinion counts. Obviously, you’ll need to agree on the travel dates and destination. A truly successful group trip, though, will balance the interests of each traveller. Start by asking everyone to describe their ideal getaway and note down common traits. If you’re all beach bums wanting to stay at a top-rated resort, great! If there are strong differences, try to reach a compromise. In the end, make decisions as a team and everyone will be a happy camper.

2. Discuss a budget

Money can be a sensitive issue, but it’s important to know how much everyone is willing to spend upfront. This will help narrow down the hotel choices, dining options and possible trip activities. It will also help avoid any unexpected surprises later on. Case in point: you don’t want to suggest a spur-of-the-moment scuba diving trip only to find out that no one can afford it. Or worse, you don’t want to be the one who’s sneaking glances at their wallet. Set a budget and minimize the awkwardness.

3. Take advantage of group deals

There are tons of benefits to travelling with your buds and we’re not just talking about taking poolside photos together. We’re talking about serious savings to be had. Do the research correctly and you’ll be able to score free flights, free rooms and free upgrades. Book by a certain date and you’ll find yourself rewarded with a discount. Just be sure to pay attention to what qualifies as a group. Usually, the magic number for perks to be applicable is 10 passengers, and this can include kids. We know what you’re thinking: “the more the merrier” has never rung so true.

4. Outline a trip itinerary

Once your group has chosen the must-dos and must-haves (Tip 1) within the set budget (Tip 2), it’s best to draft a potential itinerary. This especially helps if you foresee an action-packed trip or if you need to accommodate different interests. Keep in mind, you don’t have to spend every minute of every day together. Feel free to split into smaller groups or even venture off independently. You want to return home with wonderful memories, not the regret that you didn’t get to cycle along the coast because of poor planning.